PUNE, Jan 1: Maharashtra Chief Minister Manohar Joshi said on Wednesday that Shiv Sena would stand by the Bharatiya Janata Party's choice of candidate for the forthcoming Lok Sabha election from Pune. ``The BJP has been allotted the Pune Lok Sabha constituency. They have to decide. The BJP's candidate will be Shiv Sena's candidate. If the BJP decides to support somebody's candidacy, we will also extend our support,'' Joshi said.Speaking to media persons, Joshi further said that Pune is one of the 40 Lok Sabha seats, which the saffron alliance hoped to bag in the State. ``I am confident that Maharashtra would emerge all saffron after the mid-term polls,'' he asserted.The Sena is serious about fielding former chief election commissioner T N Seshan and he had discussed the matter with Sena chief Bal Thackeray over the telephone today, Joshi said.However, whether Seshan would contest in Maharashtra or outside was yet to be decided. The Sena would seek BJP's support to his candidacy, Joshi said.Also, Joshi, pointedly said that despite Sena's conceding to EC norms and fixing a five-year term for its chief, it had not retracted from its stand that Thackeray was president for life. The chief's term would be renewed as long as he wished to remain at the helm in the party.The decision to inform the Election Commission that he would have a five-year tenure was taken ``without prejudice.'' But we stick to our stand on the issue and the resolution paving the way for continuance of Thackeray as `Shiv Sena Pramukh' for life stands, Joshi said.
